


boltbringer

by green_piggy



Series: bond writes for xbc femslash week 2021 [6]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: During Canon, F/F, Found Family, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene, Spoilers, Video Game Mechanics, what if... we resonated together... and we were both women...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29406231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/green_piggy/pseuds/green_piggy
Summary: Mòrag wakes up in the Land of Morytha with only Pandoria for company. Together, they search for the others while discussing the intricacies of Driver and Blade relationships.
Relationships: Meleph | Mòrag Ladair/Saika | Pandoria
Series: bond writes for xbc femslash week 2021 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149800
Comments: 9
Kudos: 14
Collections: Xenoblade Femslash Week 2021





	boltbringer

**Author's Note:**

> for day 6's prompt of "dual wielding!"
> 
> i've actually had a fair amount of this written from half a year or so ago? never got around to finishing it, so took this event as the perfect excuse to do so! if you notice any changes in writing quality because of the time gap? No You Don’t : )
> 
> not all of the blade lore is 100% accurate probably but also [sticks up my middle finger at canon] they don’t write blades in general the Greatest and i ain’t replaying 100+ hours to grab every last piece of blade lore “bond don’t you have almost 400 hours on this game” Shush,
> 
> this was meant to be longer but i couldn’t for the life of me work out how to connect shit and i’m already running behind. maybe i’ll add more in the future lmao - regardless, hope you enjoy! <3

Consciousness returned to Mòrag in swatches and bits. The first that came to her was sound; howling wind accompanied by the occasional rumble of thunder. It sounded far more intense than the thunderstorms Mor Ardain experienced.

The second sensation numbed out all others; pain thudding and aching in every single one of her bones, as though her entire body had received a gigantic bruise. She was used to pain, but this was a lot, even for her. She let out a hiss between her teeth and finally opened her eyes—

To Pandoria’s beaming face not two inches away from hers.

“You’re awake!”

Mòrag did not startle, or yell, or scream. But she  _ did _ make a noise that all three of those words perfectly encapsulated as she scrambled backwards. Pandoria, crouching down with her face in her hands, in a pose similar to the one Mythra would sometimes take while bored, just continued to smile.

“What are you  _ doing?” _

If Pandoria was bothered by Mòrag’s harsh tone, she didn’t show it. She jumped up onto her feet with a yawn and a stretch of her arms over her head. Mòrag stood as well, brushing off some dust from her uniform.

“I was keepin’ an eye on you, silly!” She dropped her arms. “You’re not as sturdy as I am, y’know? We took a pretty nasty fall there!”

“A fall..?”

Fragments of memories were beginning to come back to her. The battle for Pyra and Mythra; that strange but beautiful woman; the fierce fight between Ophion and Siren…

Brighid’s hand in hers, right before—

“Brighid. The others.” Mòrag turned to Pandoria. “Do you..?”

But Pandoria shrugged.  _ “Nop-e,”  _ she said, popping the last syllable. “Just you and me here!”

“…Ah. I see.”

It wasn’t that Mòrag didn’t  _ like _ Pandoria. Perish the thought. It was just that — well. She hadn’t really had any particular  _ reason  _ to talk to her one-on-one. She could be a bit too energetic and mischievous for Mòrag’s own personal taste, combined with a surprising apathy on quite a few things, but she had proven herself to be reliable time and time again.

Mòrag glanced down to her waist. Brighid’s whipswords gave off a dim glow, the flowers on their handles currently buds.

“I can feel my prince’s energy signature,” Pandoria said. “It’s faint, but it’s definitely there.” She threw a thumb towards Mòrag’s weapons. “And since you still have those…”

“Those two must be alive at least.” Mòrag nodded. “A welcome relief.”

“Honestly, if  _ you’re  _ alive, then I’m sure the others are all dandy.” When Mòrag looked at her, Pandoria rested her elbow on her palm. “I mean… you’re the only person out of all of us who doesn’t have some kinda jazzed up stuff goin' on. Most of us are Blades, so  _ we’re  _ fine unless, like, our Core Crystal gets destroyed in one hit.” Although she was missing half of it, the Core Crystal on Pandoria’s chest was indeed thumming bright as usual. “Rex is the Aegis Driver, Tora is a Nopon — I’ve seen those guys fall from the top of  _ Mor Ardain _ and end up completely fine — Nia’s a Flesh Eater, and Zeke’s…” She waved her hand about.  _ “You know.  _ A Blade Eater? I dunno. There really isn’t a word for that, huh? It’s not like he ate me.” She crossed her arms and shivered. “That’s  _ sooooo  _ icky to think about.”

“Your words do hold logic.” Mòrag put her own hand under her chin with a small hum, speaking before Pandoria could continue to ramble. Out of everyone in their little group, she truly was the only person with no special powers to speak of. Yes, she was the Special Inquisitor, but there was a world of difference between having a title and having the ability to manipulate the ether itself. “Although I do wonder how I survived such a fall… especially with as few injuries as I have.” Apart from feeling as if she’d been thrown against a wall by a Gogol, she was — well.  _ Fine.  _ A surprising lack of bleeding or threatening wounds.

“Oh, I threw a shield around you,” Pandoria said, as if creating ether shields wasn’t something that Blades could only do for their own Drivers. They could throw up weak ones for others, certainly, but not nearly strong enough to prevent the many injuries Mòrag otherwise would have had.

“You did..?” Mòrag frowned. “But a Blade can only utilise one to protect their own Driver.”

Pandoria held up her hands. “I dunno! Don’t ask me!” She rested a thumb over her mouth, frowning herself. “But I didn’t have any problem usin’ it on you. I just saw you falling and popped it up on instinct.”

A howl of thunder caught her attention. Mòrag finally glanced up to see the environment that they had landed in.

Seeing clouds only above them, and not around them, was certainly a new experience. So, too, was the sickly green that seemed to permute this barren land, tainting crumbling towers and desolate streets. The area they were in was part of a road, albeit one that had long since collapsed. Mòrag turned on her heel to take in this strange place. She never would have imagined that ether could have a taste to it, but the air was cloying and thick on her tongue, almost like iron.

“Could this be..?”

“Pretty sure this is the fabled ‘Land of Morytha,’” Pandoria murmured.

"All of this civilisation…" On a pole near her, there was what appeared to be a device with silhouettes of people above a white button. Jutting out at the top of the pole were a set of circles that seemed to light up. Mòrag tentatively leaned forward and pushed the button inwards, ever-so-slightly…

But nothing happened. It popped out with a hollow  _ click  _ when she removed her thumb. She didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

When she glanced over to Pandoria, she was bent over, retrieving something from the ground. A crackle of thunder soon drew Mòrag’s attention back to the plasma-like sky. She thinned her lips.

"We should begin exploring," Mòrag said. "We must find the others."

"Wait a sec!"

"Hmm?"

Pandoria whirled around with a grin and held out her hands. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Mòrag made a noise and reached for the top of her head; sure enough, her helmet was missing, as clearly shown by the fact Pandoria had it gripped tight.

"…Ah." Mòrag took it from her and fitted it on her head. She gave the visor a firm pat and felt relief wash over her. Even as everything else was different and unfamiliar, at least she had this comfort. "Thank you. Let's get going, shall we?"

"Sounds good!"

Pandoria latched onto her arm with a hum. Mòrag startled. Her instinct told her to shake her off, and she was about to…

But even through her jacket's sleeve, Mòrag could feel the minute trembling of Pandoria's fingers. She looked down at her, but she had her head firmly tilted away.

Giving an internal sigh, Mòrag rested one hand over her right whipsword, allowing her left arm to be sacrificed for Pandoria's comfort. Together, they marched forward, literal arm-in-arm.

* * *

It didn’t take long for company to find them.

Mòrag caught a glimpse of the monstrosity right as Pandoria was about to stroll out into its sight with a whistle. She lurched forward and gripped what was closest — the swishing end of Pandoria’s tail, right under the lightbulb — only for Mòrag to fall right onto her behind.

She held up her hand… and watched, mouth open, Pandoria’s detached tail twitching in her grasp.

“What the…”

“Oh, my tail does that,” Pandoria said, tone blithe. She yanked it out of Mòrag’s hand before reaching behind her, twisting it back in with her tongue sticking out. “And… there!”

The lightbulb on the end of the tail gave a bright  _ pop. _

Mòrag had to remind herself that staring slack jawed was rather rude, and quickly worked to amend that.

“Well. That was…” She glanced away. “Unexpected.”

Pandoria giggled behind her hand with a snort. “Oh, Mòrag, you’re so funny! If you wanted me, all you had to do was shout!”

She held her hand out. Cheeks burning slightly, Mòrag took it with a quiet thanks, and was pulled upwards by surprising strength. She brushed off her trousers.

“Shouting would draw that thing’s attention.”

“Thing..?”

Humming, Pandoria went to peek around the corner of the building. Mòrag was quick to pull her back — by her shoulder, this time, and it was only afterwards that she realised that there was a very real possibility that Pandoria’s  _ arms  _ were also removable.

“Hey that comes off too—”

“Be  _ quiet.” _

Pandoria clamped her mouth shut very quickly.

With far more discretion, Mòrag leaned next to her to peer at what was ahead of them. Now that she was getting a better look, it was clear that the…  _ thing, _ shambling about in front of them, was rather more humanoid than it had appeared to be at first glance. Imbedded in its heaving body were glittering blue gems an identical shade to most Core Crystals. They even throbbed like a heartbeat, oddly similar to a Core Crystal.

Surely not..?

It wasn’t alone, either. There were several other similar creatures swarming around it, all of them stomping across rubble and faded road markings. If there was any other way to progress, Mòrag would have gladly taken it, but all around them were only insurmountable ruins and buildings, the fierce wind rattling through empty windows.

She glanced down to her waist. Brighid’s whipswords were still missing their usual glow. Although Brighid could readily construct and use her own weapons without any issues, Mòrag had never attempted to use them without her. She swallowed down the sudden nerves in her throat.

“Ohhh—” Pandoria’s head poked out from underneath hers with a quiet whistle. “—those guys look nasty, huh?” She glanced up with wide eyes. “Think we can take ‘em?”

“We haven’t much of a choice,” Mòrag muttered. She looked down, blinked, realised just  _ how  _ close Pandoria was to her, and took a polite but distanced step back. “You can still use your weapon, yes?”

It was a bit surreal to imagine Pandoria swinging about a greatsword larger than herself, but she looked up with a noise before nodding. “Of course!” She stood up straight and pushed her glasses up. “It won’t be as powerful as it could be, but I can send ‘em all flying no problem!”

“Didn’t you just ask if you thought we could take them?”

Pandoria startled, her finger smudging across the lens of her glasses. “Y-yeah, well! I was just looking out for you.  _ Duh.”  _ With a little huff, she gathered up the frills from her shorts in her hand before taking off her glasses to clean them.

For a reason that Mòrag couldn’t articulate, she was struck silent by Pandoria without her glasses, unable to tear her gaze away. The colour of them was like the glimmer of a cool pond of water at the very bottom, where the water drifted past tangled seaweed.

Pandoria was busy looking down while humming to herself. When she glanced up to put her glasses back on, that was when Mòrag forced herself to look in the opposite direction.

“Huh? Why you so red?” Pandoria perched on her tiptoes to peer at Mòrag’s face. “You’re not  _ sick,  _ are you..? I don’t wanna know what kinda diseases there are floatin’ about down here…”

“I’m not ill,” Mòrag gritted out.

There was silence for a few seconds. Pandoria rested her hands on her hips, still frowning, before she sighed and flipped her hand dismissively. “Okaaaaaaaay. Sure.”

Before either of them could say anything more, though, the largest monster’s head gave a sharp twitch, its neck snapping at an inhuman angle.

Right towards them.

“Oh  _ fiddlesticks.” _

A furious red began to gather in its chest, growing larger and larger. It threw back its head—

“Get down!”

Mòrag shoved Pandoria down, throwing herself over her. The infrared beam grazed over them, singing the back of Mòrag’s jacket.

“Whoa!” Pandoria let out a squawk as she blinked at the monster. “What the — _rude!”_

“Damn it.” Mòrag rolled off of Pandoria and pulled her up by her elbow, gentle but firm. “I was hoping to avoid this, but… we need to fight.”

Pandoria’s lips thinned. “I guess so. Let’s go!”

There was a crackle of thunder and lightning in Pandoria’s hand before the handle of the Big Bang Edge appeared. Mòrag pulled out her whipswords, refusing to be discouraged by their dullness.

One of the smaller monsters raced towards them. Mòrag ducked under its claw and slashed at its glowing chest—

Only for the whipsword to shatter like glass, falling to the ground and dissipating into nothingness before they made impact.

Her years of training failed her in that moment; Mòrag stared at her left hand, gawking—

“Watch out!”

A clang echoed overhead. Mòrag jolted her head up. Pandoria was in front of her, grunting as she buckled underneath the weight of the creature’s claw, her weapon sparking. Knowing that her other whipsword would be just as useless, Mòrag abandoned it and rested her hands alongside Pandoria’s on the rod. Pandoria’s gaze flickered to her, suspense soon giving way to surprise, before she nodded and turned back. They heaved and pushed and managed to knock the creature back.

“Right!” Pandoria twirled her rod in her hand. “Any ideas? I’m not nearly as strong if I’m not channeling my ether through a Driver.”

“And my whipswords are unusable without Brighid nearby.” Mòrag bit her lip. “I hate to confess, but… we may be stuck.”

The creatures had all conjugated around the one on the ground, struggling to get up. Their arms clashed and banged off one another as they attempted to help, appearing so eerily human that Mòrag had to swallow and glance away.

There was silence for a few seconds, then:

"Touch my chest!" Pandoria cried.

"Touch your  _ what!?" _

"Not like that!" she hissed. "My Core Crystal! So that we can resonate!"

Mòrag's gaze on Pandoria sharpened. "Will that even work?"

A Blade could only provide power to the Driver that they had initially resonated with. That was one of the most fundamental laws of the relationship between Driver and Blade. It could not be broken.

But Pandoria had thrown an ether shield around her no problem before, and she most certainly was not Mòrag's Blade.

…Was that law only unbroken because no one had ever tried?

"If you’ve any better ideas, I'd love to hear 'em!"

_ Forgive me, Brighid. _

Grimacing, Mòrag stretched out her hand and gently rested her fingers atop Pandoria's Core Crystal, careful not to touch the missing part.

For a second, there was silence, then—

She  _ felt  _ it. The rush of ether — the cackle of electricity and overwhelming, raging thunder — that ran over her skin, down to her bones, through every inch of her. She shuddered and closed her eyes; a hand, smaller than her own, clasped her own.

Mòrag couldn’t tell if Pandoria was trying to encourage her, or attempting to encourage  _ herself.  _ If she was helping Mòrag to keep her hand secure, or gripping it so tightly in an attempt to convince herself that this had to be done.

Ether sparked from between her fingertips and the Core Crystal—

_ There. _

Energy washed over her, her bones suddenly exhausted. Now was not the time to waver, though.

When she pulled her hand away, there it was; it was very faint, and thinner than even a slice of paper, looking as though it would sever at the gentlest of tugs, but there was no mistaking the line of ether that now tied her and Pandoria together.

"I  _ knew  _ that would work!" Pandoria cheered with the tone of voice of someone who had had absolutely no confidence whatsoever. She looked rattled, her chest heaving and her hand resting over her Core Crystal.

Before Mòrag could speak, though, Pandoria thrust out her hand and held out the rod.

“This is…”

“Just take it!”

“But this isn’t the whole weapon, is it?”

“I’ll explain later!” Pandoria shoved it into her hands, ignoring Mòrag’s gasp, and stepped back. “Just — get swingin’!”

“…Very well.” Mòrag turned on her foot, took a deep breath, and swung the wand to her side like she would with her whipswords. “You will rue the day you stood against the Flamebringer!”

A beat of silence.

“Uh…”

_ “Instinct,”  _ Mòrag hissed out, tugging her visor over her blushing face.

“You’re more of a ‘Boltbringer’ right now.” Pandoria frowned. “…‘Thunderbringer?’”

_ “Pandoria.” _

“Hey,  _ you  _ started it!”

“You needn’t be the one to finish it.”

_ “Hey—”  _ Pandoria sighed and spread out her hands, one wrist hovering over the other. Mòrag was caught off-guard for a second by the sheer unfamiliarity of the ether that flowed to her.

Holding only one weapon instead of two was a strange sensation. Mòrag twirled it in her left hand before rushing forward with a cry. She almost dropped it at the explosion of electricity that burst out at the monster — it was blown backwards, thrown high in the air before landing with a deafening thud.

“Three o’clock!”

Mòrag swerved to her right and jabbed forward. The tip of the rod embedded into the monster’s crumbling flesh — before thunder zapped through its entire body, leaving behind scorch marks shaped like a spider’s web. That one also fell.

Panting, Mòrag drew her weapon back to her side.

The ether line around her dimmed—

“Catch!”

She whirled around in time to catch a second rod, identical to the one currently in her hand. Pandoria winked before refocusing her ether flow. The link between them surged brighter than before.

Two weapons…  _ this,  _ she was familiar with.

“Prepare yourselves!”

* * *

"'Lightningbringer..?' Nah, too long. 'Zapbringer' sounds way too weak. What about… oh!  _ 'Joltbringer—'" _

"Are you still going on about that?" Mòrag asked with raised eyebrows.

Pandoria held her hands up in a placating manner. "It's important!"

_ "Is it." _

“…I still really like ‘Boltbringer.’”

Sighing, Mòrag continued walking without responding. She heard Pandoria splutter behind her before her boots clicked against the ground as she jogged to catch up.

With two rods in hand, it had been a simple task to get rid of the remaining creatures. None had bothered them since, thankfully. Now they were weaving down more lifeless streets in a bid to find the others. Although she no longer had her whipswords, Mòrag knew in her heart that Brighid — that the rest of them — were alive.

Pandoria was humming under her breath, a tune that Mòrag very faintly recognised as being an Indoline hymn. She had spent quite some time there, after all. It made sense.

She had her hands clenched tight behind her back, swinging them side-to-side. However, her tail drooped low and her various lightbulbs were all dim. She kept her head very firmly away from Mòrag.

Mòrag bit her lip.

“…Why was your weapon incomplete?”

Pandoria startled with a squeak and swerved around with raised eyebrows. “Huh?”

“They were both missing their blades.”

_ “Oooooh,  _ that!” Pandoria grinned. “That’s actually how I used it for the longest time. It was only when Zeke — y’know—” Her face fell for a second, before she pasted on another smile. “—got a fragment of my Core Crystal that he made the stabbity part.”

“The…  _ stabbity  _ part…” Mòrag frowned. "…Could Zeke be a Blade in combat too, then?"

"I don't see why not." Pandoria smirked. "You wanna try, huh?"

“I would rather walk backwards into hell while facing the Architect.”

Pandoria whistled. “Harsh! But fair.”

Suppressing the full-body shudder that still threatened to overtake her at the mere  _ thought  _ of such an idea, Mòrag shook her head with a fond smile.

The smile on Pandoria’s own face soon slid off, though, replaced with that frown that Mòrag was seeing more and more of. And that wasn’t even mentioning the emotion bleed that Mòrag could feel through their ether line, the weak but consistent tinge of  _ sorry sorry sorry regret oh she’s going to hate me  _ **_sorry—_ **

“What’s the matter?”

“O-oh!” Pandoria gave a weak laugh, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her finger caught on the leg of her glasses and almost sent them off her face. She hurried to fix them, her nervous laughter growing louder as she fixed the askew glasses.

Mòrag watched it all without a word, hands folded behind her back.

“It’s nothing,” Pandoria continued. “Really.”

Mòrag raised her eyebrows.

“Don’t give me that look!”

She tilted her head.

_ “…Fine.”  _ Pandoria blew out a huff of air. “I’m sorry for forcing you to resonate with me. I just — I was panicking, and. Uh. I dunno.” She wrung her fingers tight together. “I kinda forget how sacred and important that bond is. I don’t take a lot seriously in general. So. Um. I’m sorry. I know you and Brighid are, like, super duper close.”

Mòrag took several seconds to fully digest the words, then shook her head with a bewildered smile.

_ “Please.  _ You needn’t apologise for that.” Mòrag crossed her arms. “Yes, Brighid and I  _ do  _ share a very close bond, but I would also consider you a dear friend.”

“You  _ would?” _

“Of course.” Mòrag pulled her lips in, embarrassment suddenly creeping in. “If I presume too much—”

Pandoria held up her hands. “No, no, of course not!” She glanced away, hand rubbing her neck, face reddening. “I, just. I’ve never really had  _ friends  _ before. My prince is like a little brother, so… I’m still gettin’ used to it.”

“Pandoria…”

“That makes me sound  _ really  _ sad, huh.” Pandoria grinned, this one looking much more sincere than the last. “I don’t mean it like that! That’s just… kinda the deal of being a Blade.”

“It  _ shouldn’t  _ be. Brighid has many acquaintances within Mor Ardain. I must admit I… hadn’t fully considered that before.”

Most Drivers, after all, only travelled with their Blades, and Blades themselves were primarily used for combat or warfare. How could one be able to forge friendships and bonds when they spent their existence fighting and dying well before their time? When a Blade could be reborn, again and again, and see the same person across multiple lifetimes and not recognise them at all? The mere  _ thought  _ of Brighid ever laying eyes upon Mòrag and seeing her as a stranger was terrifying.

A nudge against her side broke her out of her mind. “Don’t go overthinkin’ yourself into a hole,” Pandoria teased with a small smile. “I have you guys now, and you’re all pretty awesome. So — thanks.”

“You’re… more than welcome.”

The sky gave another low grumble, clouds whirling and winds harsh. Yet, despite the atmosphere surrounding them — despite the vast unknown and the bizarre creatures down, the ruins of a culture so similar yet so different from their own — Mòrag felt no fear or concern.

She held out her right hand with a smile. “Shall we find the rest of our family, then?”

“Yeah, let’s!” Grasping it, Pandoria flattened herself against Mòrag’s side once more with a grin, shoulders glowing. Together, hand-in-hand, they ventured out onto a land untouched for eons to find the ones that they loved.

**Author's Note:**

> [ [twitter](https://twitter.com/greenpiggles) ]
> 
> pandy's various body parts being detachable is one of my favourite headcanons ever and i will do my damndest to include it in every fic
> 
> you ever just [opens my mouth and screams like a banshee]


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